Religion in Slovakia
.JPG)
Christianity is the predominant religion in Slovakia. The majority (62%) of Slovaks belong to the Roman Catholic Church (i.e. Latin Rite); with the addition of a further 4% of Greek (Byzantine) Catholics, all Catholics account for 66%. Members of a Protestant denomination, mainly Lutheran or Reformed, account for 9%. Members of other churches, including those non-registered, account for 1.1% of the population. The Eastern Orthodox Christians are mostly found in Ruthenian (Rusyns) areas.[1] The Roman Catholic Church divides the country into 8 dioceses including 3 archdioceses in two different provinces. The Slovak Greek Catholic Church is a Metropolitan sui iuris Church with three Eparchies in Slovakia and one in Canada. Generally about one third of church members regularly attend church services.[2] The religious situation is dramatically different from that in the neighbouring Czech Republic, which is notable for its atheist or irreligious majority.
Other religions practiced in Slovakia include Bahá'í Faith, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism. There are 18 registered churches and religions.[3] There were an estimated 0.2% Muslims in Slovakia in 2010.[4] While the country had an estimated pre-World War II Jewish population of 90,000, only about 2,300 Jews remain today.[5]
In 2016, Slovak parliament passed a new bill that will obstruct Islam and other religious organisations from becoming state-recognized religion by doubling the minimum followers threshold from 25,000 to 50,000.[6] The law passed by a two-third majority at the parliament. In 2010, there were an estimated 5,000 Muslims in Slovakia representing less than 0.1% of the country's population.[7]
Statistics[edit]
Religion in Slovakia (2011)[8]
| Denomination | Members | % |
|---|---|---|
| Roman Catholic Church in Slovakia | 3,347,277 | 62.0% |
| Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Slovakia | 372,858 | 5.9% |
| Slovak Greek Catholic Church | 206,871 | 3.8% |
| Reformed Christian Church | 98,797 | 1.8% |
| Czech and Slovak Orthodox Church | 49,133 | 0.9% |
| Jehovah's Witnesses | 17,222 | 0.3% |
| Evangelical Methodist Church | 10,328 | 0.2% |
| Not specified | 571,437 | 10.6% |
| No religion | 725,362 | 13.4% |
| Source: Slovakia census 2011 [9] | ||
Additionally, there are smaller numbers of adherents of various other Christian denominations: Baptists, The Brethren Church, Seventh-day Adventists, Apostolic Church, Evangelical Methodist, Old Catholic Church, Scientologists,[10] Christian Corps in Slovakia, and the Czechoslovak Hussite Church.[11][12] The largest pagan group in Slovakia is Krug Peruna. Moreover, it has members not only in Bratislava (its headquarters) but also in other cities such as Martin and Košice.
See also[edit]
- History of the Jews in Slovakia
- Roman Catholicism in Slovakia
- Protestantism in Slovakia
- Slovak Greek Catholic Church
- Islam in Slovakia
- Slavic Neopaganism
References[edit]
- ^ Slovakia. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
- ^ Manchin, Robert (2004). "Religion in Europe: Trust Not Filling the Pews". Gallup. Retrieved Dec 4, 2009.
- ^ Registrované cirkvi a náboženské spoločnosti v SR
- ^ Pew Research Center (December 18, 2012). Religious Composition by Country 2010
- ^ Vogelsang, Peter; Brian B. M. Larsen (2002). "Deportations". The Danish Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies. Retrieved April 26, 2008.
- ^ "Slovakia adopts law to effectively block Islam from becoming official state religion".
- ^ Na Slovensku je 5-tisíc moslimov: Bude v našej krajine mešita? | Nový Čas. Cas.sk (2010-08-11). Retrieved on 2017-02-04.
- ^ "Table 14 Population by religion" (PDF). Statistical Office of the SR. 2011. Retrieved Jun 8, 2012.
- ^ "Table 14 Population by religion" (PDF). Statistical Office of the SR. 2011. Retrieved Jun 8, 2012.
- ^ A New Mission Opens in Štúrovo, Slovakia
- ^ Results of the 2001 Slovak Census, from the Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic. [1]
- ^ Slovak Republic. International Religious Freedom Report 2005. USDOS.
External links[edit]
 |
This Slovakia-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
